Tenderness
by Illisandria Carthain
Summary: It was so simple, go to the Galactic Slums, get a human slave, go back. What could possibly go wrong? Betaed by otherrealmwriter. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: In Which Zim Does Something More Monumentally Stupid than Usual

-x-

"So, how does it feel to be one the last surviving humans in existence?" the Tallest Red asked the downtrodden teenager jovially, "Isn't this what you wanted - to be recognized as a non-crazy human child? You were right. Aliens were real. And yet—" he sneered, "—here you are, alone, without companions and the last surviving free member of the human race. How does this make you feel Dib?"

Dib shakily raised his head and glared at the Irkens (mainly Red) seemingly without an answer. Then, as he locked eyes with Zim, he let loose a torrent of the nastiest, filthiest words in every language that he knew (being Dib that was: English, French, German, Japanese, Sanskrit, ancient Greek, modern Greek, Austrian, Russian, Hungarian, Romanian, seven different pygmy tongues, three African dialects, Chinese, Latin, and some bits of Irken and Vortian).

Zim stared, 'How DARE he insult the Tallest like that?! That filthy human!!!' He reached for the mag pistol at his hip and proceeded to open fire at the angry human.

"Zim!!! What in the name of the Tallest Miyuki did you do that for?!!!" Purple screamed as Dib's blood pooled around their feet.

"He was insulting you and needed to die for that." Zim explained, confused by his leader's anger at his actions.

"He was going into our breeding zoo ya' dolt! We needed him!" Red retorted angrily.

"Breeding zoo?" Zim raised an antenna in question, "Zim has never heard of this 'breeding zoo'…"

Purple silently motioned to his co-ruler, "Non-Tallests aren't supposed to know about the breeding zoo…way to spill the beans to the most hated Irken in existence Red." He hissed angrily.

"Sorry Pur" Red pouted, using his buddy's nickname, "We could always throw him out an airlock!"

"But he took over Earth! And I don't think there's an Irken anywhere in the Empire that's THAT desperate for praise! I say we send him to go get us another human from the Galactic Slum's slaving corporation." Red nodded at this idea and both Tallests turned to face the small Elite Invader.

"Zim…the breeding zoo is a special enclosure that the Tallests heave, since the beginning of time, kept one of each species they have conquered in for hybrid-breeding to create better Irkens."

"Better Irkens?!!! Irkens need no bettering!!!! Irkens are supreme!!!" Zim crowed at his leaders.

"Well all Irkens are a product of this cross-breeding anyways-" Red began to shout, "After the first race we conquered (which was the Reaken race that shared Irk with us) the Almighty Tallest Iriu used the DNA from the last remaining Reaken to adapt and change the Irken smeets to make them better."

"But you have a zoo for BREEDING," Zim protested, not quite getting it, "That's not DNA, that's mating. How does that help the Irken race?!"

"When the Tallest Iriu changed out smeets' DNA, he wound up making us unable to survive without help, thus the reason for our PAKs. Due to that, we need to make sure that adding more DNA won't make it so that we need more adjustments to our PAKs and the way we live." Purple said calmly, his cool still intact. "Today's smeets have Reaken speed and intelligence, Andromedian healing, Msu'xbei life-span and stamina, and Jduwixhian technological skills. Unfortunately, their DNA also made us shorter than five feet (with the exception of the Tallests of course) and allergic to meat and water. So before you condemn us for 'inferior breeding' remember that you, yourself are a product of this breeding."

Zim whined slightly, "But what could you want the humans for?" He was desperate for the praise he expected when he killed the Dib, "They're stinky and smelly, and stupid to boot!"

"For their height and tolerance to meat and water! We could fix the mistakes of our predecessors!!!"

"Ah…" Zim sighed in realization, "The allergies and the height thing…makes sense now - mmyep."

"But - due to the fact that you turned our human into a giant meaty colander - you have to go get us a new one." Purple grinned.

"b-but where is Zim supposed to go get a new human? They're all dead, remember?"

"Y'ever heard of the Galactic Slums?" Red asked slyly.

"The Galactic Slums?" Zim wracked his PAK for any knowledge on this 'Galactic Slums' and came up with…nothing! "Well of course I've heard of the Galactic slums! What self-respecting Elite doesn't know of the Galactic Slums?!" he scoffed, clearly lying, making a note to update his PAKs memory on the galaxy ASAP.

The Tallest shared a 'he has no idea what he's doing' Look (patent pending) and Red grinned again, rather hungrily this time seeing as he's seconds away from ridding the Empire of Zim for about a year and THAT called for a party (which meant high-calorie, high-sugar foods out the wazoo…yum). "In the farthest reaches of the Slums is a planet named Vershinmientransh'lakiir (more commonly known as Mientran) where the last vestiges of the human race exists as slaves"

"Wait—they discovered space travel?" Zim interrupted.

"No. Right before the bio-sweep some pirates may have picked up some humans to sell them for a huge amount of monies where they'll either be sold or bred to create higher-priced hybrids."

"So? What does this have to do with Zim?"

"We need you to go and get us ONE human from that planet, preferably female. A MATURE female?" Purple now wore the hungry look.

"Zim will get the Tallest a human! Zim will not fail! Zim is ZIIIM!!!!!" He shouted his name like it was synonymous with amazing (in reality, Zim is Irken for 'destroyer of worlds' and in Galactic Common it's 'one who has more luck than the gods'). Then he hopped in his A-14 Voot-class cruiser and shot off into the darkness of space.

Red smiled at the retreating ship, "Wellp…there he goes"

"Yup…"

"You think he'll notice he'll notice he has no monies?"

"Not till he hits Mientran. How much you wanna bet he runs out of fuel?"

"You know I don't bet when it comes to Zim. But if I did, I'd say he'd make it halfway back from Mientran before he dies. Via a black hole." Red added nastily, "Now…about those party-foods…"

-x-

Zim cruised past the stars and planets, naming them as he went to pass the time, "Eitrrth - taken over by Znith, Rartok by Aiers, Sjdneov by Qxtal, Nis, Ehdoenn, Geoxb…RRGH!!!!" he scowled and shook his fists angrily, "This is so boring!!! After I took over Earth I thought I'd be put on a pedestal and worshipped not sent off to be the Tallest's mail boy! Zim shouldn't have to fetch inferiors for no one! Not even the Tallest." He added as an afterthought to his rant, grumbling slightly. "And even though GIR is off elsewhere doing harm to other people, I kind of...NO!!!! I do NOT miss that defective piece of scrap! I am Zim! Zim needs no one, NO ONE!!!!" He scowled again; wasting energy on that rant had drained his PAK's reserve energy and he needed to stop and charge. "Computer!!! Wake me when we reach Mientran!"

**[YES SIR…]** the ship's computer sighed, replying in that tone that Zim detested. Zim quietly reminded himself to fix that, it got on his nerves and four months of that might possibly drive him mad. Then he plugged himself in and rolled over, dreaming of all his 'achievements' from initiation to recent times. He smiled softly as Dib dying passed through his head, "Mmyep…one less human in the universe. Good for them" He sighed softly and began to dream again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: In Which the Skool Goes on an Intergalactic Field Trip

-x-

_Fire rained down on the entire city and everyone began screaming, "ALIENS - IT'S AN ALIEN INVASION!!!!!"_

_The first thought that popped into my head was 'He was right…' and he was. All those years of "Zim is an alien" and "He's trying to take over the Earth and destroy the human race" he was right. And now, now that we knew he was right, we were as good as dead._

_Just as I had given up all hope a HUGE UFO (though it was an IFO since we knew it was an alien spaceship) landed in the Skoolyards. The landing hatch opened up and a voice called out COME WITH US IF YOU WISH TO SURVIVE. Before you knew it, every person in the Skoolyard had tried to cram their way into the ship. I made it, others weren't as lucky. As the ship flew off I noticed two people (who even remotely mattered) were missing: Gaz—_

_And Dib._

Zita awoke with a jolt, gasping for air and blinking rapidly at the sudden light, "Stupid nightmare…didn't need to remind ME of my issues…"

"Get up ya' filthy Earthenoids!" Xxxsethin shouted, startling the young humans out of their bunks, "And if no of ya' get this right today, half rations for all of ya!"

Zita groaned and heaved herself upright, waiting for the slavers to do inspection, standing at attention. She smiled weakly at Olivia, her once golden hair now a lackluster yellow, "Wha, do they think we'll smuggle and hide contraband?! We've been here for weeks! There's no WAY that we'd be THAT stupid or foolish!"

"All I know is that a very expensive ship landed today on the surface and they're hoping to sell a few of us to this rich royal." All of Olivia's fight left when the world ended and being a slave dulled her personality even more. 'They want us to look all nice and pretty so we'll sell."

Gretchen shuddered off to the other side of Zita, her perfect teeth (because Vershin knows that no one wants a slave with a magnetic face) glinting in the fluorescent light as she hissed a question, "What are they gonna do? Last time they were here they took Moira and Torque and Aki and they were forced to join the Games and they died in the preliminaries!" She began to sniffle, trying to cover it up (crying was forbidden since some of the customers were allergic to water…or salt) "I don't wanna die…'

"Quiet back there! Don't want the customers to think you're a gabby lot, eh?" Xxxsethin shouted then muttered something in an unintelligible language, "Sskar mthir shnick regelas vernir issshta…"

The group stood erect as they heard footsteps coming down the hall, 'Oh God…it has legs which means it can kick us…' Zita thought and braced herself for the wave of terror her xenophobia brought with every look at an alien.

In walked a large gorilla-like alien with six arms all tipped with three claws and needle-point teeth in a mouth the size of a semi. It looked around the room and sneered, "What are there? Earthenoids ya say? Looks like a scrawny bunch to me!"

"Oh I assure you sir," Xxxsethin wheedled, "The Earthenoids are strong and have a lot of stamina, you could force them to work for hours and they'd only pass out later."

"Oh, I don't intend to use it for labor…" The creature smiled dangerously and a little red flag went off in Zita's head.

'It wants a sex slave…' she stiffened in terror, 'If they want a sex slave they usually go for the quiet and fragile ones which means-'

"That one." It pointed at Gretchen.

"NO!!!!!" Zita surprised herself with the ferocity of her statement.

Xxxsethin shot her an angry look and hissed,literally, at her, "Shut up or I swear that you'll regret it for what's left of your short little life…"

"And why not?" the alien asked, not really caring about the answer, he just wanted to analyze the Earthenoid that had said 'no' to him.

She broke out of line and stood in front of Gretchen, arms spread out protectively in front of her, "Because…her life is almost up!" she lied smoothly, "And what's the fun of having a slave that dies within a week of buying it? You'd have to come back and buy another one?! It's just a business appeal!"

The alien tapped three of its claws on its chin as it thought, "Well fine…" Zita sighed in relief. "I'll have YOU then."

Zita recoiled, and then meekly bowed her head, "Fine" The alien sneered as Xxxsethin clapped a collar on her neck and activated it.

"Five-thousand three hundred and thirty-six monies." Xxxsethin said with a 'Non-negotiable' tone in his voice.

"Five-thousand thirty-six monies." The alien haggled

"Fifty-three thirty-six"

"Fifty-two fifty"

"Fifty-one eighty-five"

"Fine…five-thousand one hundred and eighty-five monies for the female Earthenoid." He forked the cash over, scowling. "The code for the collar?"

"Eisvet vakiir taesh shivet'kaa." Xxxsethin said in an odd language.

'Great, if I knew what that meant in numbers and could read the keypad on the collar I could go free…' Zita scowled and then turned and looked back at Gretchen and Olivia, "Be safe, 'kay?" When they said nothing, she turned back to her new 'master' and tried to keep her voice level, cutting back the tears. "Is there anything you need to know master?"

The gorilla-thing smiled and shook its head, "Nothing that you can do for me in public. You DO need to come with me and serve me on my ship though."

"Of course master." she hated that word but knew that using it would keep her alive longer.

He led her off as Xxxsethin turned back to the slaves and a slap was heard, "STOP CRYIN' AND GET YERSELVES BACK TO YOUR DAILY LIVES YOU FILTHY SCUM!!!" Gretchen sobbed slightly as Zita and her new 'master' walked away.

'Don't worry guys…I'll be back for you eventually, I promise. Then when I get back, I'll free you…' She boarded her 'master's' ship and closed her eyes as the tears began to course down her cheeks. 'Who am I kidding? I'll be a sex slave the rest of my life…I'll be attached to this thing till I die…'


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: Swift interruption to explain the late update, my beta hasn't betaed this chapter so sorry for the roughness. I have bneen waiting for forever but it seems she/he hasn't been on in a bit. Sorry. Please continue reading.)

Chapter Three: In which a near-death collision brings luck to two parties

-x-

Zim was sleeping (not that sleeping was necessary for the Irken race, it was simply a novelty to pass time). More-so, Zim was dreaming-

_Zim was in a giant mech, wreaking havoc on the filthy humans' heads. Zim smiled as their pitiful screams reached his audio receptors, "ALIENS – IT'S AN ALIEN INVASION!"_

_Indeed it was, Zim had not only created an army of giant, self-sustaining, self-manning mechs, but he had also called the Armada and the Bio-Sweep was to begin after all the smashing and stomping of the humans were done. Zim smiled, he was just so amazing that he would go and find Zim's most hated nemesis, the Bee of Doom (insert scary music here). Then, after eliminating the Bee, maybe the amazing Zim would go and smush the Dib...maybe. The important thing was the Bee. Then the Dib. Then maybe that horrid monkey GIR watched on TV. Then the Bio-Sweep would begin._

_Zim was stomping his way through the city when here came the Bee and Its many friends! Zim took up an attack posture and faced the winged menace who screamed –_

**[WAKE UP]**

_'Eh? Bees don't talk...not even Bees of Doom can talk. What manner of trickery is this?'_

**[WAKE UP!] **_This was accompanied by an uncomfortable jolt._

_Zim staggered slightly, 'Wha-?'_

**[WAKE – UP!] **_The Bees swarmed towards Zim who shrieked and flinched, expecting the feel of a thousand and one tiny stingers and-_

-fell out of his Voot's seat.

**[FINALLY – I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WAKE YOU FOR EVER]**

Zim's face scrunched up indignantly and he 'harrumphed'. "As you may have noticed – ZIM WAS TRYING TO DREAM OF HIS PAST ACHIEVEMENTS!"

**[SORRY TO INTERRUPT SUCH A NICE DREAM BUT...] **the ship's computer sighed** [WE'RE ABOUT TO CRASH]**

Zim blinked in surprise, "Eh? How is that possible? We're only-" he paused to check his PAK's clock and grimaced, "Two months into the trip! Who in the name of the Almighty Tallest Miyuki would be here of all places?"

In the ship opposing them, Zita carried an almost-full plate of food over to her new 'master'. They had been on the ship for a week now in hyperdrive and (due to the power of the ship) had crossed what would normally be a two month trip. "So, um, master...you never told me your name or species...forgive my impudence of course..."

He blinked at her and grinned, showing off nasty teeth, "Why would you want to know that? You exist to serve me, not know my name and species."

"I just wanted to know so I could introduce you if you wished master." Zita had gotten better at lying since she had been with this alien.

"Hmm...well that IS a good idea and I would like to be introduced by a pretty young thing like you." She resisted the urge to puke. "Fine. My name is Eriku'erkat'isten and I am of the Demon race that lives on the face of Mars's moon Demos. My name in Galactic Common means 'Prince of one thousand moons'."

"_Eriku'erkat'isten_?" Zita stumbled over the foreign language.

"Pronounce it I-rii-ku air-cot is-ten." he frowned and gestured for her to feed him.

"Thank you master" she dropped something that looked like brains in the Demon's mouth. Then the alarm went off and the sip's computer screamed a warning in Galactic Common (or what Zita assumed to be Galactic Common).

**[ENTHI SSHEMASH VESKAR! VAY KIII DEK VOOT LAN IRKEN LIIRU! DAKAAN RISTE]**

Eriku'erkat'isten swore in Common and jumped up to the ship's contols and began to angrily push buttons, "_Dakaan? Dakaan naste vaash Voot lan Irken. Naste neru viin Phobo lan Demon. Naste hiriiu eiir..._" Then there was a shuddering 'thud' noise and Eriku'erkat'isten flew forward, colliding with the windshield (Zita was smart enough to grab onto something so she didn't follow suit).

Zim's Voot smashed into the Demon's Phobo-class private cruiser and cracked the cocpit shield. He began to grumble and put on his spacesuit and ejected himself into the space in front of the bigger ship, floating towards a small opening in the hull of the enemy ship in a blind fury.

Zita hid as she heard something kick down the airlock door and then shut it back. 'Please be friendly, please be friendly...' she though desperately. Then she head a voice that made her blood run cold.

"Heey! Hey, you! Filthy Demon! How dare you ruin the ship of the amazing Zim? You're gonna have to pay for that you know!"

It was Zim. Her mind raced, 'Zim? But...he's an Irken!' she remembered the ship's warning, '...Voot lan Irken...an Irken Voot!' she remembered Zim's Voot cruiser and shuddered involuntarily. Then she stiffened when she heard Eriku'erkat'isten growl.

"_Dekir Irken! Dan naar vas Phobo lan Eriku'erkat'isten! Ishtan viskiir!_" he shouted.

"Don't you call me that! I am ZIM, loyal Irken Elite, Invader class and YOU'RE the one who was flying hyperdrive in an Irken zine! You KNOW Galactic law forbids that!" Zim was utterly furious as well.

"_Irkeniristuu, xxthir mistaak sht'kaan reikal!_" The Demon retorted angrily, "_Imish vaak kiriu nishtir wei'kap sen._"

"A _wei'kap sen_, huh? Well I suppose I could take that as payment for your crimes."

"_Naste! Wei'kap sen lan Eriku'erkat'isten. Naste ler dekir Irken va'k_." There was a nasty sneer in his voice and Zita cringed at the thought of what was going to happen next.

"FILTHY INFERIOR!" Zim screamed and there was a gunshot and the collar around Zita's neck tightened.

"Aah..." she gasped as her air was cut off, "Aak..."

Zim's footsteps crescendoed as he drew closer to the place she was hiding. "Human?"

"Collar...air..." she NEEDED to breathe or she was going to pass out soon.

Zim walked towards the gasping sounds and found her writhing on the floor, clutching at her neck. "AAK! If this human dies the Tallest will be most displeased! Quick, do you know the code for the collar?"

Zita racked her brain and hissed out the code, "_Eisvet...vakiir...tamish...shivet'kaa..._hurry..."

Zim punched in the code then shouted, "Change in master, Irken: Zim" the collar immediately loosened up so she could breathe. Before she could utter a sound however, Zim clapped a small ring on her wrist and dragged her to the airlock and out into space.

"Wait! What are you doing? I can't breathe out here! I'll die!" Zita squirmed and protested angrily.

"Quiet worm-filth! Zim has placed an atmospheric regulator on you so you can breathe out here now make silence! You are Irken property now! I am going to take you to the Tallest and you will join their zoo and be a nice addition as a _wei'kap_." He tugged her into the slightly cramped Voot-cruiser and closed the repaired cockpit shield. "Now sit down, shut your filthy cake-hole, and enjoy the two month-long trip to the _Massive_!"

Zita sighed, 'Okay, so I'm not some Demon's sex-slave but now I'm stuck in a ship with the alien that killed my people and destroyed my world...I suppose this is a sort of victory...' Then she sat back and sighed deeply, this ride was going to last forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: In Which a Foreign Language is Yet Again Mandatory

-x-

Zita sat with her knees in her face and her head in her hands scowling at the small alien in front of her. He was sleeping, SLEEPING! She knew that because, an hour earlier he sat down and and told the ship where to go and then rolled over and HASN'T MOVED SINCE! He was dreaming too 'cause he would occasionally mumble something like "Mmm, yes...scream filthy smellies, scream..." and he would giggle to himself and say, "Why yes, my Tallest, Of course I will take the honor of firing the first volley of the bio-sweep so you could make a snacking planet..."

'Stupid alien...' Then, to clarify, she said it out loud, "Stupid alien." she raised her foot to smash his stupid little head in when someone said something to her.

**[I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU. PRIZED HUMAN OR NOT, ZIM IS NASTY WHEN HE'S WOKEN UP FROM HIS AMAZING DREAMS...]**

"Who are you?" Her face squinched up in fear, "Y-you better not try and hurt me...I'm protected by this Irken, you know!"

**[OH CAN IT. I'M THE COMPUTER YOU FEMALE TWIT.]**

"Like the SHIP'S computer?"

**[NO-THE COMPUTER ON THE MOON...YOU'D THINK THAT BEING DECENDANTS OF THE OMUNE YOU HUMAN'S WOULD BE A BIT MORE SMART. YES I'M THE SHIP'S COMPUTER. AND I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU]**

"Do what?"

**[TRY TO BASH HIS HEAD IN. DUE TO HIS PAK HE HEALS RATHER QUICKLY AND ALL THAT WOULD DO IS WAKE HIM AND TICK HIM OFF]**

"Ah..." she quietly drew her leg back and clutched her knees again, thinking deeply. After a few moments she looked up and asked another question to the computer, "How come the aliens I've encountered so far couldn't talk English but you and Zim can?"

**[ZIM'S PAK HAS A TRANSLATION SYSTEM AND AUTOMATICALLY TRANSLATES ALL LANGUAGES INTO IRKEN AND VICE VERSA. I HAVE THE SAME PROGRAM BUT THE FACT THAT I'M A COMPUTER HELPS TOO...]**

"So-without his PAK, Zim can't speak or understand English?"

**[NO WITHOUT HIS PAK ZIM CEASES TO EXIST]  
**  
Zita flinched slightly and remembered that one day at Skool. 'He was babbling about how he needed his bookbag to live and stuff...and he really DID?' She say for a bit, mulling that thought over.

**[WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN GALACTIC COMMON?] **The computer asked, making Zita start for a second until she realized where she was and who - er, WHAT was talking to her.

"Wha-why do you ask?"

**[WELL YOU'RE GOING TO PLACES WHERE NO ONE HAS A TRANSLATOR. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM?]**

"Well yeah..." she tilted her head to one side, her violet hair falling softly in her face, "I mean, you'd teach me?"  
**  
[OH TALLEST MIYUKI NO]** it laughed hollowly, **[THAT'S ZIM'S JOB. IT'S ABOUT TIME HE LEARNED TO NOT NAP DURING INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL ANYWAYS.]** there was a series of beeps and Zim's gentle, happy murmurs became angry grunts.

Then he shot up, "Never you filthy zombie! Zim's brain-meats are for and no one else!" When he finally realized who he was yelling at he scowled and grumbled, "How dare that insubordinate piece of scrap-" he shouted at the Voot's dash, "WHAT DO YOU WANT? Again, I was SLEEPING!"

**[I THINK IT MAY BE IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS TO EDUCATE THE HUMAN IN GALACTIC COMMON SO SHE WON'T DIE OF BOREDOM]  
**  
"Humans can do that?" he lifted one antennae as a human might raise one eyebrow in inquiry, "Are you sure?"  
**  
[POSITIVE. ALSO SHE MAY NEED TO RID HER SYSTEM OF WASTE AND I AM NOT EQUIPPED TO HOLD WASTE OF ANY KIND.] **This was the computer's was of saying 'no defecations on the upholstery' but nicely.

"Eeh...Zim will keep the human company and teach her Galactic Common so she wil not die of boredom..." Zim crossed his arms and pouted. "But I refuse to have anything to do with waste removal."

"I'm right here and as long as you find me a bathroom I'll take care of that myself." Zita frowned, ticked that they were ignoring her. "And, Zim? I have a name. It's ZITA. I went to Skool with you for Vershin's sake!" she found herself using Xxxsethin's people's god as a curse and gagged.

"Eeh? You went to human Skool with the amazing Zim? Who are you?..." he tapped a finger on his chin and thought, 'hmm'ing to himself every so often.

"Again, the name's ZITA. Z. I. T. A." she enunciated each letter carefully, "Sat behind you in Ms. Bitters's class? Dressed up as an alien for Halloween? Got mauled by the mashed potatoes one day and near lost an eye? Dib hit on me? Ring a bell?"

"Ah...Halloween...those horrid candy-starved zombie children...and that THING in Dib's head...as for Ms. Bitters, or should I say - Elisva'aret, she was scary...even for a D'thir."

"Wait, a WHAT?"

"D'thir. They're a race of beings of pure shadow to rival the Meekrob. Needless to say, the D'thir that called itself Ms. Bitters was a royal D'thir and is now high on the Council for surviving the bio-sweep of Earth." Zim shook his hand and snorted, "But-your name."

"I already told you! Zita!" she resisted the urge to throttle him.

"YOU LIIIIE!" he pointed his finger accusingly, "Anyways Zita, now on to your lesson in Common."

"Wait, NOW?" she stared, still a little weirded out by the 'you lie' thing.

"Of course, do you think you could learn Common in a month? No-an inferior species such as yourself must be taught quickly and punished if it does wrong." his smug little nose turned in the air.

Suddenly she could hold it in no longer, "Look Zim - I don't care what your people think of other races, you DON'T treat me like that...EVER. Got it?" he nodded and she cooly let go of him, "Good...now, the lesson?"

**[LOOKS LIKE YOU GOT A REAL SPITFIRE. MAN THE TALLEST ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS...]**

Zim just gave a 'shut up' look to the dash again and turned to face the human, "Okay, so repeat after me-"

Zita squirmed slightly, "Hey. You know when I said I didn't have to go...I was lying..."

Zim groaned and the computer just laughed as they took a slight detour to the nearest Rest-stop...which happened to be three stars over. Zim kneaded between his eyes wearily and sighed, this was going to stink for him. He better get a good promotion for this torture...it's worse than GIR.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: The original; chapter five got lost in the transfer, this happens to be chapter six but I figure that the original chapter five wasn't really needed. It's just showing the darker side of Purple and what Red and Purple have been doing since Zim left. Enjoy!)

Chapter Five: In Which Darkness is Harnessed for the Power of Good  
-x-  
Zim stood outside the bathroom awkwardly, "Human girl, hurry up in your needs – Zim is rather uncomfortable out here...the inferiors are staring angrily at me..."

Zita grinned inside the multi-stall bathroom, she had been in there for ten minutes and had long since went to the bathroom. She chuckled, 'Yeah, you just stand there you alien...I'm gonna stay here until you go blue in the face...' "Be right out!" she shouted to him out loud, "Unless you WANT to help me..."

Outside the female restroom Zim gagged, "No-just...hurry up!"

"Oh I will..." she grinned.

"_ssshtiirsshakaa_" a tall, dark cloaked alien hissed inquisitively. "_ssakkaaraan'kta_?"

"Pardon?" she ducked her head and racked her brain for the one phrase in Common she knew. "_Diste. Naste k'vershin Nox. Erissuka lirin_?" Sorry. I don't speak but a little Common. Do you speak English?

The alien's red eyes lit up and widened beneath her cloak, "Oh, I sorry...yes, Eithar speak _Erissuka_ little. Not much good yes?"

"No, I understand you." Zita smiled even though she was afraid for her life (even after seeing so many aliens, she was xenophobic due to post-traumatic-stress from her world being destroyed by an alien invasion). "What was it you asked me?"

"Oh, Eithar ask earthenoid what irken wait for you? Eithar ask why you make wait?" she tilted her head and Zita got a glimpse at the alien beneath the cloak, a tall, lanky creature that was vaguely human in  
shape.

"That's Zim. I had to use the restroom so he's waiting for me to get out so he can ship me to the Tallest." she rolled he eyes. "Really I'm just stalling for time. I learned that pretty much every race hates the Irkens so I'm hoping someone'll kill him."

Eithar's eyes widened, "You _wei'kap_? You gift to Irken Tall? You come with Eithar!"

Zita blinked in surprise as the hooded alien grabbed her wrist, "Hey wait! Zim's out there and if he catches me he'll use the collar against me!"

She stared at the collar and grimaced, "What number code for collar?"

"_Eizvet vakiir tamish shivet'kaa._" she had it memorized, down to the very click at the "_vet'kaa_".

"Hrrm..." the cloaked alien paused for a second, then punched in the code. The collar beeped and screamed a warning-

_**-iiriku chikiirit shiitisu shiimair-**_

"What's it saying?"

"It say in _Irikiuk'en_ that collar be deactivated or recoded." she punched in some more numbers, "Eithar recode so earthenoid fem come with Eithar to meet Darkness one, come!"

Zita still held back, afraid, "Wait! What ARE you?"

"Me?" the lanky ET used a pronoun for a change, "Eithar is D'thir, race of shadows to rival Meekrob." she held out a hand, "You come? Not time if _vershaz_ still wait. He not wait till _kiirishkit valiin_!"

Zita, after what felt like hours of thinking, took the D'thir's hand.

"Fine," she nodded, "I'll go with you...anything to escape Zim..."

There was the semblance of a smile on Eithar's face, "Good, now close ocular receptors fem earthenoid, darkness of D'thir may brain eyes for life-cycle." Zita closed her eyes as ordered and felt the strangest sensation ever.

(Imagine you're in Nothing, a great big void of Nothing, and suddenly you are pulled through a hole the size of a pinhead, each and every one of your atoms, down to the last quark in your body, is being stretched and squished and resized to fit that hole. Now imagine you've got your eyes closed through the entire ordeal and all you know is you're going somewhere and you can't open your eyes. That's what it was like.)

Now, while Zita's quarks were being pulled through the pinhead-sized hole in Nothing, Zim still stood outside the bathroom waiting for her.

"Human? Humaaan!" Zim was impatient, he wanted to get out of here ASAP but he needed the human first...and he couldn't go in the Female's bathroom. Zim tugged on the sleeve of a Vaskian (one of the allies of the Empire) female, "You, female inferior!" The Vaskian blinked one of its eyestalks slowly,

"Yeeees?..." she said in a languid tone.

"Go into the female restroom and find a small Earthenoid female and bring her to me!"

The slug-like alien complied and slithered into the bathroom. A second later she returned, "Theeey're nooooot theeeere..."

"What?"

"The Eeeeartheeenoid feeeemale youuuuu weeeeere seaaarching fooooor aaaand theeee D'thiiiir feeeemale wiiiiith heeer aaaare gooooone. Theeeey seeeeeeem toooo haaave traaaaandfeeeered tooo theeee D'thiiiiir moootheeershiiip, theee Shaaaaaadoooow-claaaaaaass baaattlecruuuuiseer."

Zim gulped visibly, "The Shadow-class?..." the alien in front of him nodded slowly. A Shadow-class battlecruiser can only mean one thing...the Darkness was on that ship and they were taking HIS human up there to meet it!

Zim dashed out of the rest stop and hopped into his Voot. "Computer! Lock on to the D'thir Shadow battlecruiser and proceed to high-speed chase!"

**[UM. OKAY...] **the ships computer shot the Voot after the Shadow.

'I just hope the Darkness hasn't seen her...'


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: In Which the Advice 'Don't Take Candy from Strangers' is Reiterated  
-x-  
Zim cursed his head off.

**[YOU DO REALIZED THAT PITCHING A FIT WILL NOT HELP IN ANY WAY RIGHT?]**

He shot a cold look at where he thought the computer was (it's rather difficult to glare at someone who isn't really there) and retorted, "Look, I don't think that you understand the severity of the situation...do you have any idea WHO the Darkness is?"

**[OF COURSE: THE DARKNESS IS THE OLDERS CREATURE IN EXISTANCE. EVERY OTHER D'THIR DARKLING HAS BEEN SPAWNED FROM THE DARKNESS. IT WAS THE FIRST BEING TO EVER EXITS AND IT WILL BE THE LAST ONE TO EXIST] **the computer stated.

"Good. Than you know what the Darkness does to new beings it comes across." The silence answered Zim's question and he cursed again.  
-x-  
Inside the _Shadow_, Zita regained her sense of balance and stood up shakily, opening her eyes.

"_Sssthhhirrrisksshkaa...eeeinkke'eerriiissshki'isaawassskkaa'aasseen_!"

"Eithar?" she croaked, God how her throat hurt. "Eithar? That you?"

"Eithar here earthenoid _wei'kap_. Eithar here, take hand. Darkness one want see earthenoid. You come with Eithar, yes?" the D'thir stopped conversing with her kindred and held out a clawed hand to Zita.

She shivered as she took it, the claw was like a birds, scaly and taloned with a thumb on the opposite end of her hand, equal distance away from her wrist. They walked into a large auditorium-like place and Zita's xenophobia kicked into full-on panic attack. The auditorium was FILLED with shadow-like, cloaked D'thir, all staring at her! In the center of the auditorium was a throne and on the throne was a large cloaked figure.

"Is that the Darkness one?..." she choked out. 'Stupid Zim...stupid xenophobia...'

"I am the Darkness..." the cloaked one answered, its voice strangely familiar. "Are you the human child that was to be shipped to the _Massive_?"

"Y-yes..." she stuttered.

"_Sssvirt'katsshin iisshiirikatsssthhhin_." Eithar hissed at the Darkness in her native tongue.

"_Sshakkiisstheen. Isssstaarkm'apsshhiin._" the Darkness waved a clawed hand at Eithar and she stood to the side obediently. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes..."

"Are you injured? Did the Irken filth harm you?"

"N-no...he was nice to me actually...well-civil anyways..." she cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. "Who ARE you?...your voice reminds me of..." she trailed off, remembering something Zim told her on the Voot: '... as for Ms. Bitters or should I say - Elisva'aret...she was scary even for a D'thir...' "Of Ms. Bitters!"

There was a hissing sort of noise she took as laughing, "You mean our emissary to new planets Elisva'aret? Yes, many people tell her she sounds like me..."

"You are...?"

"The Darkness. I am the first being to exist, even before the Omune! I was the void in which the universe resided! I was the first to live and I will be the first to die." the Darkness bent towards Zita, the face beneath HER cloak making her shiver violently, both from her xenophobe tenancies and the fact that the Darkness looked as if it should have been dead eons ago. "You want to be free? You want to not fear aliens, to not have this paralyzing fear that makes you freeze in your place and makes your blood run cold? You want to see your family again?"

Zita nodded slowly, like a child that was asked if they wanted to go home, "Yeah..."

"I can make that happen..." the Darkness grinned toothily, "I can help you do that Zita..." Zita didn't like the way the D'thir leader said her name, like she was some kind if fish, lovingly raised to be killed and chopped in to sushi. "I can free you from all the pain...all the hurt..." Zita wanted to say no, her heart told her no but her mind and body wanted the relief and she walked towards the Darkness's outstretched claw. The alien opened its mouth and was about to munch on the hypnotized girl when a loud crash was heard.

"_Karriissssh_?"

One of the D'thir guards flew into the auditorium and crashed into the wall. Silhouetted in the smoke was a small for whis raised itself to its full height. "Drop the human filthy black-sludge-creature!"

"Zim?..." Zita slurred, lolling her head in his direction. "You..."

"FILTHY IRKEN!" The Darkness shrieked, still holding on to the dopey human girl. "HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY SHIP! THIS IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE IRKEN TREATY CODE!"

"You have something that belongs to the Empire. That violated the treaty as well. Therefore I am here to administer the proper punishment-scuttling your ship and reclaiming the stolen property." Zim smirked and pointed his hand at Zita, "MINE."

Somewhere in the logical bit of Zita's head a small flag went up and that phrase 'MINE' echoed in and around the hypnotism-induced stupor she was in. 'mine?...does he mean his or the Empires?...' she shook her head and finally got a good glimpse at the short invader and what he had occupied himself with, why the Darkness had suddenly dropped her.

He was doing battle with the eons-old Darkness and losing. The Darkness had ripped off his PAK's legs and was trying to bite his head off, her maw wide, her teeth glistening with spittle.

"I've already tasted an Irken but I guess you'll be my second one since the Omune changed into you and your filthy kind..." she reared back and-

Shrieked as a plasma bolt bore a hole in her chest. She hissed as she turned around to face Zita who was holding a pistol she stripped off the Guard. "Put him down..."

"Stupid...human...Zim needs no...help..." Zim choked out.

"Shut up!" the Darkness shouted. "Why are you helping him?...He killed your family and destroyed your world. Why would you help him?"

"Well...he may be a monster and I may want him dead but, as it is he's the only thing standing between me and being a _wei'kap sen_. Sadly enough I NEED him so I can go home."

The Darkness sniggered, the hole in her chest already healing. "Do you have any idea what his leaders will do to you when they get their hands on you? They'll-" she coughed as a large portion of her cloak and her body was suddenly missing and Zim was looking very pleased with himself. "You-! A Meekrobian rifle?..._ssshaarshalll_..." she gurgled and melted into a puddle of black goo.

Zita stepped over it tentatively, dropping the plasma pistol, "Is she dead?..."

"No. A being as old as her, this'll only stun her for a while..." Zim grabbed her hand and began dragging her back to the Voot. "Come, the Tallest await!"

"Dont make move _wei'kap_!" Zita froze at the sound of Eithar's voice. "I have code for collar. _Wei'kap _move and Eithar choke."

"What do you want D'thir?" Zim asked quietly shifting the rifle in his hands, "How can I buy the code off of you?..."

"Nothing but your death will pry the code from my mind!" Eithar's speech became clearer and her eyes darkened to match those of the Darkness. "You will pay for this Irken scum! You too little _sen'nshal_..." she hissed, raising herself to her full height.

There was a soft 'psew' noise and Eithar too had a hole in her, the Meekrobian rifle boring through her chest. "MY _wei'kap_."

Zita's breath caught again as she DEFINATLY heard that. 'MY _wei'kap_'. Then she lost all coherent thought as the collar tightened around her throat for the second time in two days.

"Zim..." she wheezed, "The collar...code changed...can't breathe..." Then everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: In which Much Confusion There is.  
(Also Known as: In which Common is Truly Common)

-x-

Zita awoke to the sudden lurching of a ship and her immediatly emptying her stomach.

"Really human?" a voice uttered some obscenities that made her blush slightly, "Must you do that on the  
upholstery?"

"Z...zim?"

He sighed, "Of course Zita-stink, it IS in fact the amazing Zim whose ship's seating you evacuated your inferior organs on." he sounded rather POed.

"Wha-the collar..." she felt around on her neck, there was nothing!

"Took it off. Stupid clunky thing was in the way of your breathing. Now you have a Vortian control chip on your neck so don't think about running away..." Zim said, his antennae perking as the thought of escape crossed Zita's mind, almost as if he could hear her think. "Now why would you go and do that? Are you THAT stupid? Even the PAK-less smeets know not to go near the D'thir!"

She was still a bit shocked by her waking up alive, without a collar, and IN ZIM'S SHIP! She struggled to retort smartly and failed, "Yeah, well...I'm not a PAK-less smeet, I'm a HUMAN GIRL! How was I supposed to know that the Darkness would try to eat me?"

"You were just s'posed to!" Zim's argument lost all coherency, "If anything happened to you I'd have to go back and buy a _wei'kap_ for the Tallest!"

"Oh, so the entire 'MINE' thing was just a crock?" she was livid and just blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"That meant...not you...the Tallest..." Zim suddenly couldn't speak, a dark blush spreading across his high cheekbones. "What I say is of no business of yours!"

"And what I say is-?"

"Nothing, nothing to Zim but the blathering of a slave."

"Ah...and your promise to teach me Common was-"

"A truth. It reflects bad on me if a slave cannot speak Common. Watch this." he punched a button on the Voot and the computer grumbled.

**[WATCH IT...COULD YOU BE A BIT MORE GENTLE?...]**

"Quiet. Just play the video..." he leaned back and closed his eyes in angry contempt, "Zim will take a nap until you are learned."

"Fine!" Zita faced the screen as a bunch of words began to travel across the screen.

'If you are reading this then you are a lucky member of the slaves of the Irken race!' she read dryly. 'This means, as is expected of all other slaves, you must learn Galactic Common.

'Now, if you have no idea what Galactic Common is then you are of a backwards race and therefore are exceedingly stupid.' Zita frowned at that comment, stupid-no...ignorant-maybe. 'So...without too much further ado, Galactic Common for Enslaved Races!'

-x-

Zim tossed and turned in his sleep, having thoughts and dreams that made his 'spooch squirm and growl like when he ate bad Vort-dogs. Why HAD he said 'MINE'? Was it because he thought of the human as his or was it because he had spent so much time with the humans on Earth that he thought of them as his personal race? Or was it simply a slip of the PAK? He was confused.

He rolled over and someone poked him, whispering something in Common.

"_Zim saa'kaan? Eruiiishu'sak kaareken. Aalu, aalu!_" Zim sir? The video is done. Wake, wake!

His PAK finally warmed up and he groaned as the translation interface kicked in, "Nooo...still sleepy...g'way..."

"Not until you get up." Uurgh, the voice wouldn't go away...

"No...m'sleeping...lemme' dream..."

There was a sigh, maybe the voice gave up...then- "Computer, wake him up please..."

**[OKAY]** there was a short 'zzzt' sound and then Zim leapt up screaming as hundreds of volts shot through his PAK in order to wake him.

"Sweet mother of Irk!" he hissed as he rubbed his singed back, wincing as small sparks of electricity shot through his torso. "What in all-?" he paused.

Zita was looking at him with the most amused expression ever, "You talk when you sleep you know..."

"What Zim does in his sleep is none of your buisness little _wei'kap_." he folded his arms in indignant pouting.

"Ah..._wei'kap_...'one who is in service of'" her lips turned at the corners and she got this sneaky look on her face.

"Finished the video?"

"_Chakaa dekir. Rekaaskin_?"

"Watch your tongue. The Tallest can deal with a mute slave if that's all there is and Zim will NOT tolerate being called that." he glares at her, magenta orbs mere slits.

She stuck out her tongue at him and then curled up in the corner, "Now if you'll excuse me, I NEED to sleep." she closed her eyes and began breathing softly and evenly as she fell into the grasp of dreams

Zim watched her with obscene fascination, 'She NEEDS to sleep...I almost forgot about that...' he hugged his knees to his chest, 'The human race is definitely one of the oddest races I've ever met...' They just sat there like that for a while, the ship soaring past the moons of Alpha Centauri and other planets for a while. Then Zita began muttering in her sleep, tossing and turning like she was being chased.

"Computer! What's wrong with her?"

**[SHE APPEARS TO BE HAVING A VIOLENT NIGHTMARE]**

She squirmed some more, "N-no...momma...my momma..."

Zim leaned over her and shook her gently, "Human, human...wake up!"

She jolted awake and immediately began to scream and convulse when she lay eyes on Zim, "N-no...get away! Don't hurt me! Leave me alone! Monster...momma..."

He backed away, a slight hurt look on his face, "Why does she react in that way?..."

**[WHEN I SCANNED HER TO DETERMINE HER HEALTH WHILE SHE WAS UNCONCIOUS, I FOUND OUT THAT SHE SUFFERS FROM PTS-INDUCED XENOPHOBIA]**

"Eh?..." his eyes never left the small shivering form on the ground, "what's 'xenophobia'?"  
**  
[XENOPHOBIA: THE INTENSE FEAR OF ALIENS. CHARACTERIZED BY INTENSE PANIC ATTACKS, TENSING OF MUSCLES WHEN NEAR AN ALIEN, INCREASE OF BLOOD PRESSURE, AND POSSIBLE MENTAL SCARRING]** the computer recited, **[WHEN YOU TOOK OVER THE EARTH, THE SHOCK OF WATCHING AN ALIEN KILL ALL HER LOVED ONES MUST'VE BROUGHT UPON THE XENOPHOBIA. IF YOU NOTICED WHEN YOU PICKED HER UP, WHEN YOU GOT NEAR HER SHE STARTED TO SWEAT EXCESSIVELY AND HER PUPILS DIALATED AND SHE BEGAN TO TENSE UP. WHEN SHE WOKE UP FROM A NIGHTMARE PROBABLY REENACTING THE END OF HER WORLD, SEEING YOU MUST'VE TRIGGERED AN INTENSE PANIC ATTACK...THE BEST THING TO DO IS WAIT IT OUT AND LET HER SLEEP]**

He stared at her confused while she shivered violently and muttered, "monster...go away...momma...momma...save me..."

'Why does this bother me, that this human be terrified of me...why does watching this girl shake in fear of something I did make the nether-regions of my 'spooch ache?...' he sighed and watched her some more as her breathing evened out again and her face relaxed into a smile. 'I couldn't possibly CARE for her...she belongs to my Tallest...she isn't anything to me...' but he couldn't convince himself of that lie, no matter how many times he repeated it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: In Which There is a History Lesson

-x-

Zita awoke to Zim staring at her from in the pilot's chair, a look akin to worry on his face. Last night's panic attack having drained her of all energy she yawned and looked him straight in the eyes, "Do you have any food?"

Zim blushed again, a deep emerald crossing his high cheekbones, "Nothing you could eat little human girl. Computer - pull a stop at Foodcourtia for human-safe food." looking at his toes he frowned, "I apologise Zita-stink"

She blinked at the apology, "_N'chaa laak _Z-Master..." she corrected herself, "You didn't think about it...when will we reach where we are going?"

"Two mo-I mean-_diværth halkeen_." he uttered a few more choice obceneties and his face turned a livid shade of forest green.

"What's the matter?" Zita raised one eyebrow as she habitually shrinked away from him.

"I-I'm...I'm forgetting! I can't remember any of the irken I learned in my smeethood I-it doesn't concern you hyuuuuman." his tone of despiration changed to a forced sneer and that piqued Zita's interest.

"Tell me about Irk, about your people and your culture. I want to know everything!" she pressed.

"Why do you want to know? When you reach Irk you'll be nothing more than a slave to the Empire! Why so EAGER to learn about my home?" Zim flew on the defensive and pointed and accusing finger at the young girl.

"I-I just want to help you remember! And I like learning!" she lied. In reality she just wanted to find out why he was wistful, why he got so sad when he began to speak of his home. She hated learning too. Zim, however was an egotistical alien and didn't see through her deception. He smiled evilly and began explaining the history of Irk,

"In order to understand the history of Irk you should first understand the history of the universe.

"In the beginning there was the Void in which the Darkness began, then the Void gave way to the universe from which the Light began. The

q**au**rks that created everything created the first race to exist ever: the Omune. The Omune were worm-like in appearence and only existed on two planets to begin with: one now known as Irk, the other now known as Earth.

"The Irken Omune, calling themselves the 'Omu' meaning first, soon evolved into what you humans generally call aliens: tall and thin with

two fingers and a thumb, green skin, and a large tear-drop shaped head with deep black eyes. The Earth Omune, calling themselves the 'Ne' or people, started as aquatic creatures and evolved into the 'humanoid'

state much slower."

Zita interrupted him, a frown creasing her brow, "Wait - if humans and Irkens came from the same race, why are humans inferior?"

"Because they evolved slower and are dumber." Zim replied smugly, "Now quiet! Where was I?...oh yeah-

"Soon the Omu split into two groups in accordance to where they lived on Irk. There were those that liked in the sunny and meadow-like section of Irk that became the Reaken race. Then there were those that lived on the dark, craggy section of Irk that became the Irken race.

"The Reakens were thin and insect-like, they communed with nature and were peaceful with no intentions of expanding their grasp of land.

They had antennae that they used to communicate without disturbing the rhythm of nature.

"The Irkens were tall and had large wings of flesh and bones as well as night vision that allowed them to traverse the dark craggy lands they called home. They were a war-like species that wanted land and power above all else.

"One day, the first Almighty Tallest, whose name was Iriu, rallied the Irkens into a war-frenzy. Back then our technology was at the stage yours was: atomic weaponry, genetic splicing, low-grade space travel.

The Irkens took up their weapons and destroyed the Reaken race, saving but one Reaken larvae. Iriu suggested that we assymilate Reaken DNA into us so we could use their speed and healing time to our advantage so we could beat other races that were in the universe for that is when we began our universal conquest goal.

"We did that but the first smeet died before he could take a breath as did the second. The third time around we learned that the smeet's organs were failing and so we needed to put the smeet on life-support. THAT is when PAKs were invented.

"Irkens were assimylated with Reaken DNA and were all given PAKs. They had gained speed and healing but had lost their beautiful wings and had gained an eye color. They also gained a Reaken antennae system and exoskeleton. Soon we were spreading across the galaxy in ships we commandeered from other races we had attacked and joined into our DNA. One day the first of the Control Brains declaired Iriu Defective and deactivated him. That is when we were given Tallest Miyuki who decided that, instead of instantly assymilating DNA into ourselves, we should

keep one of every _skaatel _we conquor and breed with them to see if they will benifit our species." Zim looked incredibly smug as he continued, not noticing the horror spreading across Zita's face as she realized where she was headed. "Tallests Red and Purple believe your species can get rid of this stupid allergy to water and meat as well as increase our height!"

'And he looks happy here...' Zita thought bitterly, 'Happy that he's taking me to be a _wei'kap sen _again, only this time a _wei'kap sen_ in a

menagerie.' "That's very interesting! I didn't realize that the humans were that IMPORTANT to the Irkens!" she forced a laugh.

Zim's antennae flattened as her anger flared, the pheromone catching

on the A/C and reaching his sensory organs. "You do realize that it will be a while before te Tallests get to you and Irk knows your species has a long incubation period in relation to your lifespan. They'll leave you alone for a while." 'Why am I trying to make her feel better? I should be gloating! Is this...empathy?'

Zita smiled bitterly, "Just shut up Zim. Leave me alone for the remainder of the trip." then she rolled over and faced the window angrily. Zim just sat, confused as all get out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: In Which There is a Dream (also known as: In Which Zim Sulks Like an Angsty Teenager)

-x-

Zim clutched the steering wheel of the Voot-cruiser in angsty confusion. He was driving manually to vent some stress from the previous conversation.

'Why do I care?' he thought furiously, 'What does it matter to me that some _wei'kap sen_ is upset? Why do I care that she is going to the Tallests? Why does my 'spooch ache when I look at her? What compels me to try and make her happy? What did I do to deserve this sort of treatment?' he sighed and slammed his head against the inside of the windshield.

**[OW.]** the ship's computer cried out in a monotone. **[ANGRY MUCH?]**

"Bite me." Zim replied bitterly, glaring at his reflection. Through it he could see the stars that were now whizzing by since he had put the ship into slipstream to alleviate the possible waiting for his reward and chances for Zita to escape again.

In the back, Zita stirred and moaned softly in her sleep. "Mmmmmmommmma..." she sighed and rolled over again, snuggling deep into the tempur-foam back seat.

**[LOOK, YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE WITH THAT ACT. EVEN I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND I'M JUST A CHIP AND SOME WIRES]**

"Shut the Irk up you useless piece of machinery. When I want backtalk I'll come to you. Till then just leave me alone and go...monitor the engines or something."

**[BUT THE ENGINES ARE FINE-]**

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ZIIIIIM! BEGONE!" Zim screamed in his usual Zim-like manner and waved one gloved hand dismissively. The Computer fell silent and Zim went back to his silent brooding.

In the back, Zita shifted again and then smiled, "Zimmmmmmmmm...pllllllllease...yesssssss..."

Zim sat up erect and blushed a deep emerald. 'What is she dreaming about? Why does she say Zim's name like that? Why?'

-x-

Zita's dream was shifting again, replaying on a loop. It started over one last time.

_Zita was on her knees in front of Zim who looked as haughty as ever. She looked up with adoration glinting in her eyes. "Master, we have arrived. Should I depart now?"_

_"No." Zim's voice and stature was regal, his head held high, "No, you are Zim's. Mine!"_

_Two tall beings came out of the huge room and began chasing the two of them. Zim shot at them, punctuating his fires with cries of "Mine!" and "Run Zita-stink!" and they ran to the Voot-cruiser. When they got in the Computer shouted at them hurriedly._

_**[THEY'RE GAINING! SHOULD I SET COURSE FOR EARTH?]**_

_"Earth?" Zita asked, confused._

_"Did I not tell you? There is a way to get to Earth just before it was destroyed!" Zim hopped in the pilot's seat and motioned for her to do the same with the back seat._

_"How?" the Voot tumbled as the engines started up._

_"Parallel universes. There's one where I was never smeeted, Earth doesn't exist to the Empire, and you were never born. There we can live for the rest of your life together and when you die, I'll deactivate myself!" Zim deftly flew the Voot out of the range of the Massive and flew towards a wormhole._

_Zita blinked in surprise, "Wait, a parallel universe where WE can live together? You want me? Not just as a _wei'kap sen_?"_

_"No! I love you Zita-stink and I would never trade you for anything so meager as glory!" The wormhole loomed ahead and Zita gaped at the colors and shapes that surfaced in the ambient light of the inter-dimensional portal._

_They landed on a small blue-and-green planet and disembarked. "Home..." Zita whispered in wonder. "Home where my momma is! My momma is alive!" she squealed with glee and spun around. Then she clutched Zim's arm, oblivious to the fact that he shied away-Zim's a germaphobe. "Zim! Please say you'll stay with me! Stay with me in a house we could make ourselves. Please!"_

_Zim nodded without thinking, "Anything for you my love."_

_"Yes!" and she planted a kiss on his lips, hugging his lean body close to hers in a deep embrace._

-x-

Zim clutched the steering wheel angrily and muttered to himself. "Why? Why my name? Why me? And what do I do when we reach the _Massive_? Why me?..."


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N: this is the last chapter I have pre-written. I hope you enjoy this. it may be the last regular(ish) update you'll see for a while.)

Chapter Ten: In Which a Journey Comes to an End (Also Known as: In Which One Color Has Some More Filthy Fun)  
-x-  
While Zita dreamt of a parallel universe and home and Zim worried over her sleep-spoken words Red and Purple were talking to the Commies about the position of Zim's Voot-cruiser.

"So he's WHERE again?" Red asked the head Commie.

"He's in slipstream right now and he's only a few hours out of the _Massive_." the short Communications Drone bowed deep and then turned to face Purple, "Why again do you wish to know?"

"Why are you questioning your Tallests? Why are you so short, huh? Huh? Tell me that!" Purple got in the Commie's face and he backed off, cowering. "I should throw you out of an airlock for that! But-" Purple grinned, "-I will spare you since there is no one of your caliber in your field." Purple gave a wicked grin and the leaned in to his red counterpart and whispered in his antennae. Red grinned toothily and nodded.

"Red and I," Purple continued haughtily, "Would like to be-no, DEMAND to be-informed of when Zim enters hailing range. Then when he enters firing range." Purple began to float off, "And if anyone needs me, I'll be in the menagerie, looking over the _skaatel_. Don't bother me."

Red stared at his co-ruler confused, "Does anyone know why the Irk he's so temperamental when he goes off to the menagerie? I mean, breeding with the _skaatel _is an icky business cause they have all those inferior parts but that's a chosen Elite's job, not that of the Tallest. He's not s'pota' do it himself." Red turned to the silent Commies, "Does he do it himself?" they shrugged and he floated off to his private chambers to rest, all that thinking made him sleepy.  
-x-  
Purple stepped into the enclosure and, immediately, the chatter of multiple languages stopped and silence reigned the menagerie. Then one word was uttered in Common: "_Iirukshev_"

Irken.

Purple smiled and called out in a honeyed voice, "Line up pretties, time to check up on your progress."

Tens of hundreds of aliens creeped out of various places and lined up, wary of the Tallest before them, their eyes downcast. Many of them were in various stages of pregnancy or carrying eggs.

Purple called out to them again, "All proclaimed pregnant by the Vet or guarding a clutch step forward. Those not pregnant or brooding wait for my order." Out of the thousands of aliens only twenty stepped forward. Purple quirked and antenna and frowned, "That's it? I thought there were more of you."

"There were but at least a hundred of them gave birth, hatched their clutch, or died from malnourishment." a young Varishk said angrily, her long tentacles wrapped around a small egg that was black and spotted yellow.

Purple just grinned, "And the ones that survived?"

(In the back or in their "homes") a floating alien with a baby bump and multiple arms mind-spoke. (The halfers are with the "Scientists" right now undergoing testing.)

"Good. Now. I want you specifically to know that there will soon be an Earthenoid coming here and she WILL be impregnated. You are to make her feel at home here. She must know the rules and hierarchy of this place. If she does not you WILL PAY."

**WHAT OF THE BABIES?** the robotic croaking of a M'kshill added in, her eyes flicking down at the black-and-purple striped egg she was carrying.

Purple grinned viciously, "You can have more. It's been proven before." the entire row of impregnated aliens shuddered silently.

"Now," Purple continued, "Go back to tending your clutch, sitting on your egg(s), or waiting for the inevitable birth of your filthy little halfer." he turned to the other skaatel and licked his lips expectantly, "I have some...business to attend to."

And he walked off towards the line of non-pregnant aliens who stared in fear at him. Then a tall purple alien stepped forward and growled lowly, her pointed ears flattened against her head. "What do you want?"

"Who wants to be mine for the evening? They will get the usual compensation: whatever you want within reason." Purple paced (floated) back and forth letting at the young females.

"You're SICK." the same alien hissed.

Purple shot forward and leveled a spider leg at her throat. "Don't overstep your boundaries _skaatel_." he whispered dangerously in her ear, "Or I will remove the offending party from this conversation..."

"You destroyed my people. I am the last one left. If you kill me then you will have to contend with the questions of your stupid counterpart..." she replied, fangs bared.

Purple grinned and lifted the tip of the leg so it was barely touching her left eye, "True," he admitted, "but I CAN make this painful for you. You DON'T have to look all that pretty to get screwed."

She backed down, ears flattened in submission, and he let her go. Then he went back to pacing, "So, again, who wants to be mine for the evening?" When no one answered, Purple's voice took on a wheedling tone, "Compensation~" Just then, a young Vortian female stepped forward and raised her horned head.

"I will go." she stated clearly in Irken (a rare occurrence but she was part of a race that once was allied with the Irken Empire so Irken was taught in most of their schools as a secondary language) Purple raise one antenna and grinned as she continued. "My compensation: whatever new _skaatel _you bring here will be my bond-sister."

"Oh that's right, you _skaatel _have this entire "bond-sister" thing you do to be surrogate family. Your's died didn't it Maribel?" Maribel nodded stiffly and glared at him through her fringe of fur that covered her right eye. Purple shrugged and then beckoned for her to follow him, "Come. We will go to my private chambers." Then the two of them left the menagerie and the talk began anew. This time it was about Maribel and what happened to her bond-sister, Khryss the Lavitka. And what a tragedy it was.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: In Which Pride is Injured

Zim's Voot-Cruiser landed at the _Massive's _docking bay within a half-hour after Purple and Red inquired about his whereabouts. When this happened, a lone Service-Drone ran out to buff the dents and dings out of Zim's ship and was chased off by an irate Zim. "Do not touch Zim's ship! Zim is not a Defective! Zim can fix his own ship! Zim is an Irken Invader, an Elite! Run and fetch the Tallests if you wish to be useful! Go, GO!" Zim hurried off the Service-Drone who dashed off towards the Tallests' bedroom, wishing that he hadn't pulled the smallest straw and been saddled with the unpleasant duty of caring for the insane Invader's needs.

Zim, anger thoroughly spent, turned back to his Voot's cockpit and prodded Zita carefully. She jolted awake, breath hitching and heart racing, then became placid at the sight of Zim's face. A mix of negative emotions ran across her face and then her expression went to a neutral blankness, "_Chavak chikirsk SARAK _Zim." What is it MASTER Zim.

Zim hissed as his 'spooch clenched up again, in knots. "We are here, Zita-slave," tacking 'slave' to the end of her name hurt him and he almost choked on the word, "The Massive. The crux of the Irken Empire."

Zita looked out and saw the scores of Small Irkens carrying tables strapped to their heads bustling about, busy and afraid of being reprimanded if they were caught staring at the wei'kap sen that was going to set its first foot on the hard Unobtanium surface of the Massive. Around them were taller Irkens, staring openly at the Voot-Cruiser and exchanging monies, who looked almost disgusted at Zim's safe return. Simultaneously she felt bright anger at the Irkens for hating Zim and strange and twisted delight at the fact that he was just as hated here as he was among the humans left. But, regardless of her feelings either way, she was a _wei'kap sen _of the Irken Empire and that was not going to change any time soon. She held her chin up high and stepped out of the Voot before Zim could say another word. Surprised hisses filled the docking bay as the human proudly walked to the nearest chair and sat down.

"Untrained! What kind of Irken is he to leave such a thing as a _wei'kap _untrained?"

"Look at it, filthy _skaatel_, proud of being inferior are you?"

"Pride. This should be a fun one to break."

"I expected as much from Zim. Defective."

"Is this the human?"

The last voice belonged to Tallest Red who had just walked (floated) out if the docking bay's door along with Tallest Purple and the poor, and thoroughly pissed off, Service-Drone.

Zim, who had been standing next to Zita with a displeased look on his face, grimaced, "Yes my Tallests. A female, as you requested."

Purple smiled and suddenly Zita felt very small and dirty, as if she was scum in the eyes of this Irken. "Yes...you did well Zim." There were groans in the audience and some more monies exchanged hands. "I like this one, she has strong eyes and a healthy disposition. She should do well in the menagerie."

Zita immediately knew that out of the two Tallests, Purple was the one she needed to fear. Red was too occupied with handing a lump sum of monies to a Taller Elite to really care about Zita but Purple, despite handing monies to other Irkens, was solely focused on her. She felt like a piece of meat to him, something for pleasure and deep-seated want first and foremost and for supplement secondly. It unnerved her. "Who's this then? Some more idiotic Irken scum? Psh...," Zita scoffed, trying to protect her pride while ruining what little standing Zim had with the Tallests, "I've seen roaches bigger than them."

There was a loud ringing 'slap' and Zita found herself holding her cheek. Red looked thoroughly POed and was shaking his hand in pain. Two long marks ran across Zita's cheek where Red's had had struck her and the Tallest smirked, "Don't ever insult us. We are your masters now. We decide whether or not you live or die and I will NOT let some lippy _skaatel _make my day any worse!"

"..._Chonai Sarak.._." Yes Master. Zita kept her head down, tears welling up in her eyes, less from pain that the wounded pride and realization that she was lost.

Red smirked, unawares to the hurt look across Zim's face and the angry look across Purple's face, "Good. _Wei'kap _should know their place. Pur!" The other Tallest banished the hate from his visage and looked over at Red, nodding. "Take the _wei'kap sen _to the menagerie. Introduce her to someone who will keep her safe."

"Sure. Come earthenoid!" Purple gestured at Zita and as afraid she was of what awaited her in the menagerie, she was more afraid of Purple touching her. So, diligently as a dog, she followed Purple.

The _Massive _fit its name well, the ship was huge and were Purple not guiding her Zita would have gotten lost easily. As they walked, Purple stuck up a conversation with Zita, albeit a very one-sided one.

"So I shall enjoy you, little human. You are the latest in a long line of pets I've had during my reign as Tallest. And you know what's best of all? No one knows that I'm the one that impregnates the _skaatel_! They think some hoity-toity Elite is knocking up the breeders but it's not~! It's me!"

Zita fingered the scratches running across her face and carefully thought about what she was going to say. Pride set aside, she spoke up, "You-you said Tallest, singular."

Purple shot her a semi-annoyed, semi-amused glance then turned back to face where he was going, "Yeah, so?"

"There are two of you: Red and Purple. Two Tallests, not one Tallest. Why did you say Tallest?"

Purple scoffed, "You seriously think I'm going to spill my secrets to some filthy _skaatel_? You are insane! Just because I'm a little more lenient than Red doesn't mean I'll tell you my life's story all in one go. So shut up you, until we reach the menagerie. Then you can converse with your bond-sister all you want." Zita shut up for the duration of the walk to the menagerie. When they reached it, Purple threw the doors open, threw her in and left with only one comment in passing, "The Doctors will visit you later to do a physical and make sure you aren't damaged goods." Then the doors shut and Zita was alone; or so she thought.

Behind her was a soft voice asking something in rapid-fire Common. "_Thjwbix jndjan nnskx aajrnw? Wei'kap sen lan Iirukshev? Lan Purple_?"

"_Lan _nobody...," Zita didn't bother with speaking Common, she knew someone in here had to speak English.

"Ah..._Eriezk_? I can speak _Eriezk _pretty well. Contractions and some more...complex words escape me entirely however." The alien from before, the one who asked her if she was the new girl and if she already belonged to an Irken, and revealed herself. It was a tall, furry creature that resembled a goat but with pointy teeth and walking on two spindly legs that ended in tiny hooves. She offered a cloven hand and grinned, "My moniker is Maribel. I am _Vorukshev_...Vortian the Irken PAK translates it as. You are my bond-sister."

"I've been meaning to ask someone," Zita commented as she grasped Maribel's hand and shook it, "Wht is a bond-sister?"

"Well...seeing as most of us are the last of our kind, we often take on another _wei'kap _as our sister by bond. Bond-sister. It means the world to us, our bond-sister. They are the line between life and death as well as insanity and balance. Without them...most of us go insane." Maribel looked down and frowned. Then she gestured to the menagerie, "This is your home now. Over here are the nests; the expecting or brooding ones live here, are fed here, and give birth here. Once they confirm your status, you stay here." There was a morbid silence broken by Maribel gesturing somewhere else, "THIS is the housing area, for the free ones. Over there is where we get food; there is where we use the waste facilities; here we exercise. The whole kit and caboodle. And over THERE, over there is where the Doctors are. They are the nastiest of nasties. Avoid them at all costs."

Zita stared at her bond-sister and smiled for just a moment. Then the final question hit her, hard. "What happens when Purple comes in here?"

Maribel sighed, "Then you make a sign for luck and hope he doesn't pick you. That's all you CAN do."

Zita frowned and then nuzzled up against Maribel, startling the Vortian. "I'm glad I met you...I wish it had been elsewhere, but I'm glad I met you."

"Me too _shashkra_, me too..."


	12. IMPORTANT NOTE

***NOTE*  
****This is an announcement, not a chapter. This is important; please read. Thank you.  
/*NOTE***

I am rewriting Tenderness. Because I am doing so, I will be abandoning this version of the story. However: I WILL NOT be taking this version down. I will leave it here for comparison. To those of you who are subscribed to this story (all 10 of you) my suggestion is you keep your eyes out for the new version (which should be up soon enough...I'm in the process of rewriting right now). Until then my sincerest apologies to those of you who enjoy this story for the inconvenience. And thank you for sticking with me through that wreck of a story.

"But 'Sandria," you say, "Why not just update the chapters for this version? Why make a whole new story for the repost?"

Good question readers. The answer is: because no one would go back and read the updated chapters if I did that and I want to make this a new and improved and MUCH better story. So rather than thinking of it as a reposted and edited version of "Tenderness", I'm thinking of this story as a whole new project (of which I don't have a name for yet; feel free to offer one).

Also, many thanks to my new beta: the R Sister (R.L. Sisters)! She made me realize how badly I had written this, pointed out my good points, and told me exactly what she thought. She is the best grammar-Nazi/writer/beta of all time! (And I do this because I know the multiple exclamation points annoy you :P )

Thank you for your time. - 'Sandria

***EDIT***  
**The rewritten version is called "Poor Little Heart" Read it! THE PANTS COMMAND YOU!**  
**/*EDIT* **


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